Billionaire Philanthropists Met Secretly in NYC

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:02 PM
By: Dan Weil

A group of the country’s biggest philanthropists gathered secretly in New York City on May 5 to discuss the recession and its impact on philanthropy.

The world’s two richest men, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, along with financial scion David Rockefeller called the meeting, according to IrishCentral.com, which was the first to report on the gathering.

Other attendees included TV moguls Oprah Winfrey and Ted Turner, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and hedge fund legend George Soros. Each participant had 15 minutes to discuss the best way to run his/her charity in the current difficult economic environment.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimates the participants have donated more than $72 billion to charity since 1996. The meeting took place at Rockefeller University.

Charities have been hit hard by the global recession, and the meeting probably tried to set a new course for philanthropy, Stacy Palmer, editor-in-chief of the Chronicle told ABCNews.com.

Such a meeting is highly unusual, she points out. “I can't think of another time they've all been in the same room to talk about philanthropy,â€